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Do our eyes deceive us? Trick shots galore in this magical tour of London.
Trick film 1930 4 mins Silent
The film camera is used to great effect here to trick and treat its audience, injecting fun into the otherwise mundane London commute, slum demolition, Thames or London Bridge traffic. Trick films, as they were known, used the medium's technology to enchant, entertain and astonish. This spectacle-dominated, avant-garde piece is pure delight and features some of the capital's key landmarks.
Documentary 1935 17 mins Location: Thames Head
Swans, boats and bridges are celebrated by lyrical commentary and fine images in this delightful tour of the Thames from “trivial” beginnings to torrential end.
Non-Fiction 1926 1 mins Silent Location: Kingston Upon Thames
A mermaid, a fat man in a barrel and water-bound jockeys all appear in this brilliant short showing Londoners taking part in the Molesey Regatta.
Non-Fiction 1930 1 mins Silent Location: River Thames
A ceremonial swan census takes place on the river Thames.
Documentary 1939 9 mins Silent
A nostalgic pre-war voyage down the mighty Thames, shot by Technicolor maestro Jack Cardiff.
Non-Fiction 1899 1 mins Silent Location: Henley-on-Thames
Don your straw boater and join Victorians at play as you potter down the river at Henley-on-Thames
1935 16 mins
A rare glimpse of 1930s London in colour: the Thames has never looked lovelier.
Non-Fiction 1925 1 mins Silent Location: Southwark Br
Sing up and eat up! Billingsgate market traders sing for your supper
1924 10 mins Location: Belgravia
Part of Wonderful London, the BFI National Archive’s programme of restored London travelogues, filmed in the capital in the 1920s.
Documentary 2020 11 mins
Searching for one of the last people to speak Gayle - a secret language the gay community were forced to invent during Apartheid.
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2017 4 mins
A comedy-drama animation about two best friends growing up in the same world but experiencing it completely differently.
Drama 2019 14 mins
An African Pentecostal Pastor questions everything she believes after a life-changing event.
Drama 2018 8 mins
Samona Olanipekun explores the concepts of home, identity and belonging, from the starting point of the theme of globalisation.
Drama 2017 16 mins
Compelling story of a complex relationship between an imperious father and his son.
Documentary 2020 28 mins
Three African American fathers unravel the incomparable partnership of forgiveness and community.
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